The Practice of Godliness

What is it about the Olympics that causes us to forsake sleep and stay up to watch sports that we will not care about again for four years?  The other night I stayed up to watch Shaun White absolutely dominate the men’s snowboard halfpipe, and like everyone else I was impressed with the defiance of gravity in his astonishing tricks.  But the television broadcasters made sure that we knew that this show-stopping performance did not come out of nowhere when they showed us the secluded personal halfpipe where White spent countless hours in practice.

White is just one of many Olympians who will reap the benefits of practice in these Winter Games.  For these athletes, practice does not just make perfect; it makes for gold, silver, and bronze, too.

But what does practice make for the Christian?

In The Practice of Godliness, author Jerry Bridges sets out to answer this question, and he starts with this verse: “Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8)  Even more than any Olympian trains their physical body for the sake of gold, Christians should be making every effort to pursue godliness.

Bridges explains that godliness consists of two primary parts; the first of which is God-centeredness, or devotion for God.  Just like an aspiring Olympian will not get very far in his practice without having a hunger to win gold, a Christian will not progress much in the pursuit of godliness without a thirst for God.

The second trait of godliness is what Bridges calls “Godlikeness.”  A godly person will display character qualities in their own life that resemble or reflect the character of God.  Twelve chapters in the book each focus on a different “Godlike” attribute, such as love, humility, gentleness, joy, etc.  Each chapter is excellent because it not only explains the attribute clearly but also offers encouragement toward specific actions.

If you want to grow spiritually, read this book because it will push you towards the goal of godliness.  And godliness is infinitely more valuable than gold could ever be.